Free Agents Yanks Might be Interested in

[BleedinBlue]

Well....it's that time of the year to start speculating on what players the Yanks will target this offseason. A bunch of players filed for free agency yesterday, the two most interesting (IMO) are RHP John Lackey and OF Matt Holliday.

 

I'm not a fan of Lackey, but one thing of interest about him is that he owns the Red Sox with a 5-0 record against them.....plus he's a solid pitcher that would fill in the back of the rotation.

 

Holliday is an interesting possibility and according to ESPN, the Yanks are interested. Here's their summary:

 

"The World Series champs want to get younger in the outfield, though re-signing Johnny Damon is a possibility if they let Hideki Matsui walk. The Yankees appear tepid on Holliday, but agent Scott Boras is known for dragging the Yankees into the discussion to drive price"

 

Roy Halliday has yet to file, but I believe his contract is up this year and would be a perfect pitcher for the Yanks as he is in the division and has a great record against the Yanks (16-5 .2.90 ERA). He would compete with CC for the no.1 starter in the rotation. What I like about Halliday is that he is an inning eater like none other and gives the middle relievers a chance to rest once a week. The downside is that he won't come cheap and you can expect the Sox to go overboard trying to land him away from the Yankees.

 

As I pointed out in another thread, the Yanks covet catcher Joe Mauer, but he won't become available until the end of next season. Expect the Yanks to open the checkbook and offer an A-Rod type contract to put him in pinstripes.

 

So Yankee fans, who do you expect the Yanks to go after this offseason?

[fringe]

Roy Halliday is signed thru next season.

[BleedinBlue]

Roy Halliday is signed thru next season.

I was wondering about that because there's little info on him. All I knew for sure was that Toronto was shopping all year and I assumed it was because if they didn't get something for him, he would be gone through free agency at the end of the season. I suspect they weill shop him hard this year as well.

[fringe]

I was wondering about that because there's little info on him. All I knew for sure was that Toronto was shopping all year and I assumed it was because if they didn't get something for him, he would be gone through free agency at the end of the season. I suspect they weill shop him hard this year as well.

Probably not until mid season unless someone blows them away. That whole fiasco cost JP RIccardi his job.

[MakeMeSomeFoodHo]

I wonder if Lackey would take a one year deal to prove he is and can stay healthy. Id love the yankees to give him a one year deal.

[Ditto]

I'm not sure, but I think Figgins can file for FA this year. If so, we can sign him if it's not too much, then unload Hairston.

 

PS I just read where Figgins did file. He'd be a great pick up since playing him 4 times a week wouldn't hurt our line up one bit.

[Guest StrahansGap]

I say they make a run at the cuban fireballer Chapman. Word is, he throws a 102 mph fastball........

[BleedinBlue]

I say they make a run at the cuban fireballer Chapman. Word is, he throws a 102 mph fastball........

Actually.....the Yanks are already in the hunt for Aroldis Chapman. Chapman says he will go to either the Yanks or the Mets. He's determined to play for a NY team. Even though he defected from Cuba a few months ago, he still doesn't have permission by the MLB comissioner to apply for free agency. Chapman did a smart thing and purposely met with the Mets brass because that automatically makes him inelligible for the draft and must start his career as a free agent leaving him many options.

 

And yeah, he's only 21 and a left hander whose typical fastball dances around the 100mph mark and has thrown a couple mph over the century mark. According to most sources though, he's not ready to step into the majors without a couple of years of serious coaching and gaining experience. But - as raw talent goes - he's considered one of the three greatest pitchers in the world who made his mark on the Cuban national team mowing down batters like bowling pins.

 

My bet is that he'll be in pinstripes, but won't be ready until 2011.

[BleedinBlue]

I wonder if Lackey would take a one year deal to prove he is and can stay healthy. Id love the yankees to give him a one year deal.

No way that Lackey would settle for one-year. He's looking for a lottery-win contract at this stage of his career. On the other hand, Randy Wolf is getting long in the tooth and the Yanks might be interested in him on a one-year deal. He'd fill in nicely at the back of the rotation.

 

According to this morning's news, Yanks are interested in Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, should they part ways with Damon and/or Matsui. If they keep Damon, they would be interested in Figgins and the two would be rotated and Damon would spend time at DH. The news says that the Yanks "might go for a 2-year contract" with Damon, but that Damon will demand nothing less than a 3-year contract.

 

Figgins isn't a natural outfielder and has only played a handful of games out in the outfield in the past couple of years. The morning news says that the Yanks believe he'd be okay in the outfield and would be able to spell A-Rod once in awhile at third making him versatile.

 

Regardless.....the news says that the Yanks will make at least one big splash this off season. It'll be interesting to see what they do.

[Guest StrahansGap]

Actually.....the Yanks are already in the hunt for Aroldis Chapman. Chapman says he will go to either the Yanks or the Mets. He's determined to play for a NY team. Even though he defected from Cuba a few months ago, he still doesn't have permission by the MLB comissioner to apply for free agency. Chapman did a smart thing and purposely met with the Mets brass because that automatically makes him inelligible for the draft and must start his career as a free agent leaving him many options.

 

And yeah, he's only 21 and a left hander whose typical fastball dances around the 100mph mark and has thrown a couple mph over the century mark. According to most sources though, he's not ready to step into the majors without a couple of years of serious coaching and gaining experience. But - as raw talent goes - he's considered one of the three greatest pitchers in the world who made his mark on the Cuban national team mowing down batters like bowling pins.

 

My bet is that he'll be in pinstripes, but won't be ready until 2011.

 

 

 

 

Hey Bleedin, I thought the Red Sox were front runners. Did they not impress Chapman on his visit to Boston?

 

 

Just edited my post: Just found this on rotoworld.com:

Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman met with the Red Sox on Wednesday.

"Boston was one of the teams he was interested in from the start, and that certainly hasn't changed," said Chapman’s agent, Edwin Mejia. "It was a very good visit." Chapman was also expected to throw a bullpen session at Fenway Park, however it was canceled due to inclement weather. Boston is one of nearly 10 teams that have expressed interest in the 21-year-old fireballer, but Peter Gammons of ESPN.com believes that the signing of former Chapman teammate Jose Iglesias may give the Red Sox a leg up.

[BleedinBlue]

Hey Bleedin, I thought the Red Sox were front runners. Did they not impress Chapman on his visit to Boston?

 

 

Just edited my post: Just found this on rotoworld.com:

Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman met with the Red Sox on Wednesday.

"Boston was one of the teams he was interested in from the start, and that certainly hasn't changed," said Chapman’s agent, Edwin Mejia. "It was a very good visit." Chapman was also expected to throw a bullpen session at Fenway Park, however it was canceled due to inclement weather. Boston is one of nearly 10 teams that have expressed interest in the 21-year-old fireballer, but Peter Gammons of ESPN.com believes that the signing of former Chapman teammate Jose Iglesias may give the Red Sox a leg up.

From what I've read, Chapman really wants to play in NYC. But....in order to maximize his price, he has to have all the big players involved in the bidding. He (or at least his agent) knows that Boston showing interest will drive up the price the Yanks are willing to pay. It's all part of the game.